However, the Never After books may be read in publication order, by following this sequence:[8-13]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Hooked | 2021[14] | A crime lord targets the daughter of the man he blames for his family’s ruin. |
| 2 |
|
Scarred | 2021[15] | A prince and a court outsider navigate rebellion, intrigue, and royal succession. |
| 3 |
|
Wretched | 2022[16] | An agent infiltrates a criminal family and becomes involved with its chemist. |
| 4 |
|
Twisted | 2023[17] | A diamond executive uses a false engagement to claim an heiress and her family’s empire. |
| 5 |
|
Crossed | 2023[18] | A priest becomes obsessed with a vulnerable dancer under another man’s control. |
| 6 |
|
Hexed | 2024[13] | Rival criminal families, mistaken loyalty, and inheritance claims shape a mob romance. |
Works in sequence
For most readers, Hooked is the best starting point because it introduces the series’ general mode: a standalone dark romance built around criminal power, revenge, and a reimagined familiar story pattern. Since the books do not form a single continuous plot, beginning elsewhere is practical, but starting with the first published novel offers the clearest route through the series.[2]
Readers drawn to court intrigue may prefer Scarred, which uses monarchy, rebellion, and succession as its frame.[3] Readers looking for an undercover-crime plot may choose Wretched,[4] while those interested in inheritance, business control, and a forced-alliance romance may start with Twisted.[5]
Crossed offers a priest-and-dancer setup shaped by religious obsession and coercive power.[6] Hexed is the clearest entry point for readers who want rival mob families and criminal inheritance conflict.[7]
1. Hooked
Hooked (2021)[8] begins the collection with a dark criminal-underworld romance built around vengeance, manipulation, and a targeted seduction. James Barrie’s campaign against Peter Michaels draws Wendy Michaels into a private war of family trauma, power, and control.[2]
As the first published entry, it is the most straightforward place to begin, though its plot is self-contained.[2]
2. Scarred
Scarred (2021)[9] shifts the collection into a royal setting, following Prince Tristan, a marginalized heir with a hidden rebel identity, and Sara Beatreaux, who arrives at court with her own agenda of revenge. The novel uses court politics, succession conflict, and rebellion as its central frame.[3]
It stands apart from Hooked while continuing the collection’s interest in morally dark romance and power struggles.[3]
3. Wretched
Wretched (2022)[10] shifts the sequence into a crime-family and undercover-investigation plot. Eveline Westerly’s role inside her father’s organization intersects with Nicholas Woodsworth’s attempt to infiltrate it, creating a romance shaped by deception, divided loyalties, and criminal exposure.[4]
The book can be read independently, but in publication order, it broadens the collection’s range of settings and antiheroic leads.[4]
4. Twisted
Twisted (2023)[11] centers on Yasmin Karam, an heiress under pressure to protect a family diamond empire, and Julian Faraci, the executive who seeks control of both the company and her future.[5]
Its arranged engagement and inheritance plot gives the collection another self-contained variation on coercion, ambition, and emotional dependence. No earlier plot knowledge is needed to follow its central conflict.[5]
5. Crossed
Crossed (2023)[12] follows Father Cade Frédéric in Festivalé, Vermont, where his religious role, violent compulsions, and fixation on Amaya Paquette converge. Amaya’s responsibilities toward her younger brother and her entanglement with a controlling businessman form the main external pressures.[6]
The novel functions as a separate entry, with its own setting, supporting cast, and closed central storyline.[6]
6. Hexed
Hexed (2024)[13] places the collection in a mob-family conflict involving Venesa Andersen, the Kingston crime family, and Enzo Marino. Mistaken identity, old contracts, inheritance claims, and rival criminal interests shape the romance and the power struggle around it.[7]
As the sixth published entry, it can serve readers specifically interested in organized-crime material, though publication order remains the cleanest full-series listing.[7]
References
- Emily McIntire Books. Emily McIntire.
- Hooked. Bloom Books. ISBN: 9781737508373.
- Scarred. Bloom Books. ISBN: 9788985138023.
- Wretched. Bloom Books. ISBN: 9788985138061.
- Twisted. Bloom Books. ISBN: 9781728275840.
- Crossed. Bloom Books. ISBN: 9788212966481.
- Hexed. Sourcebooks. ISBN: 9781728275864.
- Hooked. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781737508373.
- Scarred. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788985138023.
- Wretched. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788985138061.
- Twisted. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781728275840.
- Crossed. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788212966481.
- New & Upcoming Releases. Emily McIntire. Archived.
- Hooked. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781737508373.
- Scarred. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788985138023.
- Wretched. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788985138061.
- Twisted. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781728275840.
- Crossed. Bloom Books. Copyright page. ISBN: 9788212966481.